


wishes like shooting stars

by dovahgriin



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29876526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dovahgriin/pseuds/dovahgriin
Summary: Bethany Porter leaves the overwhelming city she’s lived her whole life in and moves to Pelican Town after learning of her inheritance from her grandfather — Moonvale Farm. Stardew Valley holds answers to questions she doesn’t know that she has, and lessons she doesn’t know that she needs yet. And hey, if there really is a bit of magic in the forest, who can say what will happen?





	wishes like shooting stars

**Author's Note:**

> i’ll be honest, i haven’t written anything in quite a while and i don’t have a beta. i’m not sure where this story is going, or even if i will include romance at this point, lol. this is at its core a self insert in stardew valley, so make of that as you will ^^;
> 
> that being said, i don’t know when i will update it and i don’t know if it’ll even be in chronological order lmao

The bus ride to Pelican Town is long and drowsy, and Bethany ends up dozing off midway through, lulled to sleep by the thrum of the engine and warm, soft breeze. She dreams of dripping water, impossibly purple metal, and… dancing apples? The scratchy bus intercom wakes her with a jolt.  _ “Welcome to Pelican Town. Our next stop will be Gramplton and we expect to arrive there at eight thirty.” _

A redheaded woman greets Bethany at the bus stop with a toothy grin. “Hi! I’m Robin, your new neighbor. You’re… Bethany, right? Jim Porter’s kid?”

Bethany nods, not quite sure how to respond. “Yeah, Jim’s my dad. It’s, uh, it’s good to meet you, Robin.” She fumbles for words when Robin grabs her duffle bag from her. “I - I can get my bags, you don’t ha一”

Robin waves a hand dismissively. “It’s no trouble at all. This is nothing compared to the lumber I usually haul around for work. I’m a carpenter,” the older woman states in explanation. “Besides, Moonvale Farm isn’t that long a walk away. It’s just past that treeline.” Robin points at a thick grouping of pine trees to the west.

As the two women walk towards the farm, Bethany listens as Robin talks about the town and its inhabitants. “I can give you a map when we get you all settled in, if you’d like,” Robin offers as they weave through the trees on an uneven, overgrown path. 

“I… I’d really appreciate that,” Bethany says softly. “The only thing worse than my sense of direction is my cooking.”

Robin snorts. “Ha! That’s understandable - from what Lewis said, you’ve been living in Zuzu for most of your life?”

“Heh. Yeah. The kitchens in the apartments in the city aren’t good for much more than microwaving leftovers and breakfast burritos. … Unless you’re filthy rich, of course.” Bethany pulls a face and Robin actually laughs this time, pausing to lean against a tree. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.” 

The younger woman shrugs. “I’m not offended, it’s true. It’s sad and funny at the same time.”

Bethany turns her face to the darkening sky. The stars are beginning to come out. Robin moves to stand beside her, looking at the sky as well. She sighs softly, then glances over at Bethany’s awestruck expression. “You don’t get views like this in the city, huh?”

Bethany wordlessly shakes her head. Robin grins and then nudges the shorter woman with her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you to the cabin. The mayor is just tidying the place up and wants to meet you.” Robin begins walking further down the path, then pauses and turns back to face Bethany. “I promise, it’s even prettier in the daylight.”

Bethany follows Robin and they soon arrive in a open area surrounded by trees. A small cabin sits towards the back of the clearing, sagging roof illuminated in the moonlight. The building looks… vaguely familiar to Bethany, but she isn’t sure where or when she’d seen it before. 

“It’s not much, but—“ 

“It’s  _ perfect,” _ Bethany interrupts Robin, her fingers curling into the soft fabric of her fleece sweatshirt. “I - it seems so familiar…”

A head pops out the window. “I should think it is!” 

Bethany stumbles backwards into Robin with a yelp. “Yoba on a cracker—!” 

The head pops back into the house and the door to the cabin opens with a creak. An older man steps out. Bethany thinks that he looks to be in his mid-sixties. “Sorry about that,” he says, removing his cap in apology. “I’m Mayor Lewis, but most folks around here just call me Lewis. You must be Bethany, right? It’s good to see you here again, after all this time.”

Bethany shakes his outstretched hand, looking bewildered. “I’ve been here before?”

Lewis squints at her over his wire-rim glasses. “You mean you don’t remember…? You were around three the last time your dad showed up in town with you.”

“Ah.” Realization clicks into place as Bethany recalls the year that she had turned three years old. “That was… a hell of a year. I don’t remember much of it, to be honest.”

“You were young then, too. I’m not surprised the details are fuzzy for you now.” Lewis has a somber, knowing expression on his face. Bethany scuffs the ground with her sneaker and avoids meeting his eyes, instead opting to appraise the cabin she would be living in. 

“So… what should I expect living here? Are there any issues that I’ll need to address with the house, or will it hold until I can get a steady source of income?” 

Robin speaks up. “There are no real issues with the house itself - it’s a sturdy building, your granddad knew what he was doing when he built the place. It’s a bit small, though, and there isn’t much of a kitchen at this point. I’d be able to help you with adding space and expanding the house, if you wanted.”

“Don’t listen to her, Bethany,” Mayor Lewis scoffs. “Robin’s just trying to get you to buy one of her house upgrades.”

The carpenter bristles but doesn’t say anything in denial. Bethany’s palms start to sweat. The awkward atmosphere is a bit overwhelming at this point, and she begins edging towards the door. The two older adults seem to sense that she has reached her limit of social interaction, and begin wrapping things up. 

Lewis shows Bethany the shipping bin, where any fruits or vegetables she grew could be put in to be sold. “You can also sell just about anything at any of the shops in town; Pierre will take foraged plants, Clint will buy gems and metal alloys off of you. And Robin—“

“I’ll buy wood and stone from you,  _ and _ I can build you just about anything on your farm. Once you clear out sufficient space, of course.” Robin smiles at Bethany. She seems to have calmed down after the tension with Lewis. Bethany feels slightly more relaxed having come to that realization. “Now, about that map…”

After Robin sketches out a rough map of the township and labels the landmarks and most common buildings with Lewis’s input, the two bid Bethany a good night and leave her to unpack her things. The door creaks as she closes it, and the crickets begin singing outside again as she pulls her things out from her duffel to put away. Clothing goes in the worn dresser, laptop on the rickety breakfast table; toiletries in the medicine cabinet in the tiny bathroom. The internet in the mountains is spotty, or it is according to Robin, so Bethany supposes she will have to look into getting that upgraded. 

A wave of exhaustion hits Bethany like a brick wall, and she sways where she stands in the center of the one-room house. She yawns, jaw cracking loudly. 

“Time for bed, I think,” she mumbles to herself. Slowly, Bethany strips off her clothes and tosses them on the single chair in the kitchenette.  _ Need to get a hamper, _ she notes sleepily before climbing into bed. Beth is asleep before her head hits the pillow.


End file.
